Shloka 50
उसने बड़े आदरके साथ हाथ जोड़कर नेत्रोंसे आँसू बहाते हुए वहाँ विश्वामित्रसे कहा --“ब्रह्मन! इस रातके समय आपकी यह कैसी चेष्टा है?--आप क्या करना चाहते हैं?” ।। ४९ || विश्वामित्रस्तु मातज्रमुवाच परिसान्त्वयन् । क्षुधितो5हं गतप्राणो हरिष्यामि श्वजाघनीम्,विश्वामित्रने चाण्डालको सान्त्वना देते हुए कहा--'भाई! मैं बहुत भूखा हूँ। मेरे प्राण जा रहे हैं; अतः मैं यह कुत्तेकी जाँघ ले जाऊँगा
ghapaca uvāca: sa bāhu-yojitāñjaliḥ netrābhyāṃ aśrūṇi muñcan tatra viśvāmitram uvāca— “brāhmaṇa! asmin rātri-samaye tava iyaṃ kīdṛśī ceṣṭā? kiṃ kartum icchasi?” || 49 || viśvāmitras tu mātajram uvāca pari-sāntvayan— “bhrātaḥ! kṣudhito ’haṃ gata-prāṇaḥ; ato ’haṃ śva-jāghanim hariṣyāmi.”
The outcaste, with folded hands and tears streaming from his eyes, addressed Viśvāmitra: “O brāhmaṇa, what is this strange act of yours at such a time of night? What do you intend to do?” Viśvāmitra, soothing him, replied: “Brother, I am tormented by hunger and my life is failing. Therefore I will take this dog’s thigh.”
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma can become conflicted under extreme distress: preserving life (prāṇa-rakṣaṇa) may press against ordinary rules of purity and permitted food. It also models humane speech—Viśvāmitra consoles and addresses the other as “brother,” indicating compassion even amid transgression driven by necessity.
At night, an outcaste man (Ghapaca/caṇḍāla figure) sees Viśvāmitra attempting to take a dog’s thigh and, with tears and folded hands, questions him. Viśvāmitra replies that he is starving and near death, so he intends to take the meat.